Joan Marcus
I’ve written extensively about my history with the Fiddler on the Roof play before, so I won’t rehash all that. Suffice it to say, I find the Fiddler on the Roof movie to be a near perfect film and Topol’s performance to be impeccable. It’s a difficult bar to clear to even be considered in the same area, but there are always differences to watching a stage version, especially considering the necessities of the different mediums.
Fiddler on the Roof in its recent revival stars Yehezkel Lazarov as the lead role of Tevye, another Israeli actor, although the two have different accents. Yehezkel doesn’t have the most powerful or technically capable voice around, but it’s pleasant and emotional. He tends to work best in the almost improvisational moments to the audience or the Big Guy Upstairs, performing exceedingly well in the comedic moments.
His style is conversational and his own pace, which can be jarring if you, like me, have rewatched scenes from the movie over and over and expect certain timing. I actually felt like he got increasingly connected to the audience over the course of the two acts of the play, feeling at first a bit disconnected but at the end easily deserving the standing ovation.
Joan Marcus
Is there any real point to summarizing the storyline? It’s a classic, century old story, about tradition versus family, happiness versus stability. Everyone should know this tale. And even someone like me, who is highly familiar with the source material, found plenty of moments laugh-out-loud funny and sadly emotional at other times. I’ve heard that comedies can evince the most powerful moments of sadness in the juxtaposition between the scenes, and Fiddler knows how to pull off that trick.
The other performances tended to mirror the classic interpretations, with a few particular standouts. Ruthy Froch as second daughter Hodel was a revelation, with a gorgeous singing voice and honest, emotional depth to her performance. I also really connected with Nick Siccone’s portrayal of nerdy tailor Motel, easily one of the funnier performers in the play. It was funny to me how effective Jonathan von Mering was at playing the much older Lazar Wolf (with prosthetics and makeup) in terms of easily passing as an older gentleman, but his comic timing wasn’t quite as up to par as his physical performance.
The rest of the primary roles were all pretty good, with Maite Uzal as Tevye’s wife Golde, Carol Beaugard as Yente (vamping it up for all she’s worth), Kelly Gabrielle Murphy as Tzeitel (pulling off those tricky emotional moments), Noa Luz Barenblat as Chava (in some ways better than the movie’s version even if she has one of the least popular roles), and Nic Casaula as Perchik (pseudo-shouting his lines as an imitation of Michael Glaser’s version from the movie).
Joan Marcus
But this is a show that’s capably produced, pulling together careful scenery changes alongside dance scenes and impressive singing ensembles. The cast knows how to use their space, and it feels just like the same old story, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you haven’t seen this show live, this is the perfect chance to give it a shot.
Fiddler on the Roof runs through December 15 at Washington DC’s National Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Williamsport PA, Burlington VT, Knoxville TN, Portland OR, Seattle WA, Tempe AZ, Providence RI, Boston MA, Richmond VA and New Orleans LA. Visit the official Fiddler on the Roof website for more information.
JamTheatricals
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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